Antelope bitterbrush

Purshia tridentata

Moderate to deeply taprooted evergreen shrub 2-10 ft. tall with small yellowish flowers, blooming April to August. Adapted to a wide variety of well-drained soils, slightly acidic to basic, often deep, coarse profiles on dry slopes and hillsides within mixed shrub and woodland forest communities; up to 11,000 ft. elevation. Less drought tolerant than close relative Desert bitterbrush (P. tridentata var. glandulosa). Establishes by seed and layering, when branches take root after soil contact; some ecotypes may sprout. Mostly killed by wildfire. Occasionally able to produce nitrogen-fixing root nodules. Used for restoration, erosion control and mine reclamation. Moderately palatable to livestock and highly palatable to pronghorn, deer, elk and bighorn sheep. Caterpillar host plant for Behr's hairstreak butterfly and numerous moths, including Columbia silkmoth, Western sheepmoth, Walnut spanworm moth and Nuttall's sheepmoth.